Cities and Urban Land Use

By Morgan DiFruscio, Alexis Gillie, and Ashlynne Zeeff
 Located in China, Shanghai is China’s most populous city. In fact, it is the most populous city in the world. The photo is a view of Shanghai’s skyline, focusing on its central business district. One should note the characteristic tall buildings of a CBD that Shanghai has.
Located in China, Shanghai is China’s most populous city. In fact, it is the most populous city in the world. The photo is a view of Shanghai’s skyline, focusing on its central business district. One should note the characteristic tall buildings of a CBD that Shanghai has.



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Cities History
City Models and Theories
Globalization of Cities
How Do People Make Cities?
Current Events and Examples
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College Board Study Topics

VII. Cities and Urban Land Use . 13–17%
A. Development and character of cities
1. Origin of cities
2. Rural–urban migration and urban growth
3. Global cities and megacities
4. Suburbanization and edge cities
B. Models of urban systems
1. Rank-size rule
2. Central place theory
3. Gravity model
C. Models of internal city structure
1. Concentric zone model
2. Sector model
3. Multiple-nuclei model
4. Changing employment mix
5. Changing demographic and social structures
6. Uneven development, ghettoization, and gentrification
D. Built environment and social space
1. Housing
2. Transportation and infrastructure
3. Political organization of urban areas
4. Urban planning and design
5. Patterns of race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status

Intro to Cities

Cities are centers designed for people. They provide jobs, homes, and entertainment for populations. Beginning to emerge around 3500 BC, cities have developed from ancient, rural areas with few people, to large, expansive modern areas with a huge number of residents. This change in which cities have gone through is called urbanization. Urbanization has also caused cities to no longer be isolated, and has caused them to interact on a global scale. This section of the wiki will explain the roots of cities and how people make them function.

Author's Note: All information on this section of the wiki comes from the citation listed below unless otherwise stated.
De Blij, H.J., Alexander B. Murphy, and Erin H. Fouberg. "Urban Geography." Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture. Eighth ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2007. 257-99. Print.


All photo citations are listed in order as they appear on the page.
W., David. Pudong. 2009. Photograph. Shanghai. Flickr. Yahoo! Inc. Web. 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawvon/3508699852/>.